Tools Of the Trade ~ The Diving Board

avatar

In the past I have done a couple posts highlighting tools we use in the Lineman trade. First I showed you the Battery Operated Press A tool we use to squeeze connectors or repair sleeves on conductors. Then I brought to light what we use to get tools and material up and down the poles, the Hand-line.The last one I discussed was the Lineman Wrench and how much it has changed over my 15 years in the trade. Now there are a ton of different tools we use on a day to day basis when building and maintaining the electrical grid. But this next tool I am going to show you has to be one of my favorites. Because when you have to use it, you are doing what we like to call, Man-Work. A pole inaccessible by bucket trucks and insulators that are so long due to the voltage that you cant lean out off the pole far enough to get to the end the insulator. So there is a tool for that and here it is,

The Diving Board

IMG_3215.JPG

So I was just looking though some old work photos from back when I was working a 115,000 volt Transmission job on the Feather River in California. The crew running the job got all the poles changed and they brought a couple more crews in for wire pulling day. Detach the wire from the insulators, pull the new conductor in with the old, then re-attach the new conductor to the insulator. Sounds simple enough right? LOL

So we use the Diving Board to get the extra reach we need off the pole to get whatever work we need to get done. If I was 10 feet tall there wouldn't be an issue. Having just the balls of your feet pressed against the pole you can only reach out so far. Now try performing any work in that horizontal position with all that force from your belt around the pole pulling at your belt around your waist. Not fun. I have had my belt slide down off my waist while leaning out and it will make the cheeks clinch a bit. It takes a lot of force to keep your boots from sliding down the pole. Since for maximum reach you done have any gaffs in the pole, Your feet will only slide so far then hopefully your gaff on your lower foot will dig into the pole.... I have no idea if that makes sense to anyone but I dug up this old photo from back in my apprentice days to kind of show what I am talking about. Granted I am not completely horizontal but you get the idea... right?!?!

PICT0027.JPG

Oh ya back to the Diving Board... they can range in length but the ones I used were 8 feet long. Basically it is like walking the plank on a pirate ship. You connect your safety harness to the pole and walk right on out there. The Diving Board has a steel bracket that goes against the pole and is in the shape of a V and attaches to the pole with a chain.

2D83B3C47B1F48B6815EBBE300021B04.jpeg

Then below that is had a sort of kickstand for vertical support. Without it, the diving board would have very little support and stability. I found this short diving board in the shop to show you guys basically what it looks like.

797AEEC23F1F4E86AAD5992234523106.jpeg

First, we need to take a ride to the pole, since there are no roads close to these poles a helicopter is the fastest way to get there.

IMG_3177.JPG

In Flight Shots With my iPhone 4

IMG_3180.JPG
IMG_3181.JPG
That's not our pole, the road is too close

The helicopter drops us at the base of the pole and leaves to go bring us our diving boards and other tools needed. It is all loaded in a big steel basket and dropped off at the base of the pole with us. One at a time we climb the pole and then have another guy send up the diving boards. 2 of us get the diving boards all setup and once they are in place and all your tools are up in the air, its time to walk the plank.

IMG_3214.JPG

The photo opportunities were very minimal, we had the toughest poles to work on the whole job. I guess that is what you get when you work for a Foreman who is well known to flat out get it done! To give you a little perspective of what it looks like after we "bumped" in a piece of wire and let the insulators hang in order to pull the new wire in. This structure is called a Dead-end. The wire stops on each side of the pole and has a jumper that connects the two sides. Where those bulges are on the upper set of wires is about where the end of the insulator would reach. This is what is looks like while we wait for the wire to get pulled in. We sit and watch the travelers (rollers, dollies, wheels..) to make sure they are working correctly and nothing gets hung up. Those Diving Boards sure stick out there don't they?

IMG_3193.JPG

It seemed no mater what we did and how we positioned the diving boards, the guy on the upper one had to work sitting on his ass. Which was kind of nice in a way but also a pain in the ass in another. This is my good Buddy Hugo sitting down on the job being lazy. Cool little story, We actually went to lineman school together before we actually got in the trade. We both ended up working in different areas for PG&E. Then after we both topped out and got our journeyman cards we ended up being on the same crew working transmission and we’re helicopter fly partners. Pretty cool..

IMG_3170.JPG

Typically this would be the ideal position to be working on a diving board in... Standing up

IMG_3185.JPG

Yes that is me getting the rigging on to be able to cut the wire and connect it to the dead-end shoe that is attached to the insulator. If I remember right, those insulators are about 5 feet long and made out of a polymer. I am glad they weren't glass or porcelain... Heavy!!!

IMG_3189.JPG
Looking to the next pole we have to work on.

I am not sure if you can tell but from day one of this week long wire pulling job, there had been a fire just on the other side of the hill from us. The sky kept getting worse and worse and the air was terrible. But we just kept working and getting it done. This is a photo that an apprentice took, no filters that is the actual color of the sky. Also it gives you a great view of how we work on the Diving Boards. After we finished with what we need to do on one wire, we have to re-position them around the pole to work on the next one, then the next.

IMG_3204.JPG
If you look closely at the point where the diving board meets the pole, you can kind of make out the kick-stand I was mentioning

Here a a photo of us making our way to the job on the first day. Our job was on the other side and the fire service guys held us up for a bit since the fire was so close to the road. We weren't 100% sure we were going to do this wire pulling job or not at that moment.

IMG_3200.JPG

Never mind the fire, let's get back to the Diving Board. Typically when you have to use Diving Boards you need to dust them off because thy haven't been used for quite sometime.

A92951EB935B4CE2A6DCBBC10A4F7850.jpeg

Shoot I remember having to ask everyone if they knew where they were at. It took a few days to track them down. Once they were found, we gave them a good inspection and made sure the chain binding mechanism is in good shape and working properly. This style of Diving board is just made out of wood and when you get on the end they are a little bouncy, but not bad. When you are using them on a skinny wood pole... it’s a fun ride. The pole flexes a bit and then add the little bounce of the Diving Board and things really get moving. You can have some fun messing with the guy on the other side. Bounce him around while he is trying to put some small nuts on some bolts. Lol.

They also work on steel poles, which during this job there were a lot of. The Diving Board felt way more stable on the steel pole rather than the wood. No flex in the steel.

IMG_3186.JPG
Right on the End

I have also used a different kind of Diving Board, which is called an Insulated Platform. I used one of these in a back yard to work on energized lines and change insulators. These are really nice and as you can see there is something you can straddle with your legs to give you a little extra balance. Plus there is a release knob that you lift up and the whole platform swivels around the pole. Don't get me wrong, the first time I threw on the Class 2 Rubber Gloves and grabbed a hold of 12,000 volts while standing on this platform was a bit nervy. You can put one on one side of the pole and one on the other and get some hot work done on these.

6ft_insulatedplatform.jpgsource

Even though the Diving Board doesn't get used as much as most tools, its still a great tool to have. When you look at the length of the insulators, the length of the arm the insulators are hanging from and now finish off that triangle to the pole where a Lineman would be standing. It's a looong way out there... Also depending on what kind of structure you are working you can use as many of these diving boards as you can fit on there.

IMG_3610.JPG
I am on the top right sitting on my ass

Well I could blab on and on about this specific job and how much of a pain in the ass it was but also how fun it was. At the end of everyday we all would gather around in the courtyard of the hotel, crack some cold ones and talk about the day. That is one thing lineman do best. Find a better way to do stuff and make the job easier.... over a few cold beers. Plus those old Lineman have some funny stories to tell

Again I really hope you enjoyed seeing another tool of the Lineman trade. There are so many tools we use to build and maintain the electrical grid and I thought this one would be a good one to share. Thanks for hanging out

IMG_3205.JPG
I am on the left finishing up the last connection

Until Next Time...

Hive On
and
90593D8EFDBD4C9891482C449ECC4472.jpeg
source
Now That is Funny
Right There



0
0
0.000
27 comments
avatar

That tool is really cool! I'm surprised it can hold a decent amount of weight at 8 feet out. It would seem to me like it would break off or something, especially sitting at the end of it. I learned another tool here though for sure! They seem like they are great little things to have!

Thanks for sharing it, never would have seen one of those otherwise.

0
0
0.000
avatar

They are pretty stout and solid. It’s not just one chunk of wood but a bunch of pieces laminated together for strength.

They have their specific use that is for sure. Not many Lineman have used them and not many people in general know about them.

0
0
0.000
avatar

That's good, so they're kind of a heavy duty piece of plywood, it seems. The technology for that has really improved, my dad put a huge microlam plywood beam in his house instead of a steel support so it's definitely got some strength!

0
0
0.000
avatar

It’s more like a bunch of 2x2’s laminated together. Those beams are super strong and will eat through saw blades too. Lol.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Man, you guys must be up there with loggers and smoke jumpers on the danger scale!?

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

74AF50237D7647189EDBBFB455C92BF6.jpeg

FA65CA9440E74DCF87EC07FC28521EFC.jpeg

Just sayin... HAHAHA

We tend to fly under the radar when it comes to the whole "publicity" thing. Shoot I didn't know what a lineman was until I asked my dad for advise about a career. He worked at the local PUD as a manager of sorts and said, "Ya, your crazy enough I think you will like being a lineman"

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Reminds me of the planks for tree felling on huge trees from back in the day. They would take planks and pound the end into the cutout in the tree then climb up them. When they had to use hand saws to cut down the redwoods.

That heli ride looks freaking badass! I really would love to long line. I've had friends in search and rescue in Yosemite and they said that is one of the best things, the ride up the side of Elcap or Half Dome while on the long line.

Speaking of Elcap, you have the potential to be a badass aid climber. The press on the pole to reach out the line is like top stepping in aiders to place a piece as high as possible. Lots of the movements would be very familiar.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It’s been years since I have done that kind of work... The legs and abs aren’t what they used to be. Lol. I always enjoyed transmission work. Everything is twice as heavy and twice as high in the air. Lol.

Way back when my dad and I did the Half Dome hike. 14 hours round trip. Granted we weren’t climbing the face or anything. I remember seeing El Capitan... impressive.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow what a job... Hope the pay is worth it to you... My grandfather was a lineman in the early days... Went around the country stringing the first high voltage wires..There is a map in the family showing the routes he took as a young man.. Unfortunately he died from a fall / lighting strike on a pole not far from his home in Pennsylvania .. 15 yrs before I was born.. He was 46...
You guys do amazing work to supply us with the gift of electricity that we all take for granted... Thanks...

0
0
0.000
avatar

No kidding!!! That is amazing!! I would love to see a photo of that map. I always said, “The guys who originally put these poles and towers in were REAL MEN!!”

In the early days 50% of lineman died. All our procedures and rules and written in blood. My Hard hat goes off to your Grandpa!! Such a young age... man would I have loved to see how they did things back in those days. I am a big fan of the old lineman stuff. I have some collectible things, insulators, climbing hooks, and other random stuff.

image.jpg

Your are very welcome. That is all a lineman needs when we have been working for 30+ hours straight restoring power during a big storm. Just a simple... Thank you

I did 44 hours once, and several 38-40 hour shifts. No sleep, except maybe a little 10-15 minute cat nap. We got work to do. Lol.

Thanks for stopping by and I would love to see that map, if you ever come across it.
Cheers
!BEER

0
0
0.000
avatar

You guys are right up there with Iron workers...Pun intended..

The story of my Grandfather's map...This was my Mother's father who had an older brother who had the map...My mother had told me about it but at the time I didn't realize the importance... I live in New York and my Uncle lived in Florida so I never saw the map in person...He offered to give it to me but I forgot to ask when I visited him on his 90th birthday...

Any way his son has it in a glass picture frame and it will stay in his family with his 2 sons... My cousin sent me some pictures of the map but the glare from the glass makes them useless.

PS.. lot of electricians in the family, me, my father and his brother and their father, my other grandfather was a licenced NYC electrician..Who also died before I was born... I retired at 56 ..seventeen years ago... May you all be well... Mike W.

0
0
0.000
avatar

What a cool story... that is definitely something that has to stay in the family.

I am a first generation Lineman in my family. One of my older brothers is an electrician... we like to give each other a hard time. Lol.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I found you had to get a least one good belly laugh a day or it wasn't worth going in that day...Humor gets you through life ...

0
0
0.000
avatar

We actually went to lineman school together before we actually got in the trade

What? There is a school for that? What is this wizardry?

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Northwest Lineman College, there is one in Idaho, California, and Texas. 4 month of extra schooling outside of high school and a Lineman makes.... I will just say “Good Money”😉. Well you do have to endure a 4 year apprenticeship but... you are getting paid to learn a trade. So it's not that bad.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It does pay pretty well.

I think people need to realise that trades can pay great too.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Unfortunately the idea of a “Hard Days Work” is seen as something to stay away from. I watched an interview with Mike Rowe and he explained it best. The Skills Gap. Let me see if I can find find. It is really good.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wow, what a job. Being an Electrician I know how important your job is.

I could't do it, because if I climb this pole to go to the cables, my trouser would be to wet as I'm not good with high climbs.

Have a great day and enjoy a !BEER from me

0
0
0.000
avatar

LOL!! My Brother is an Electrician also. It’s kind of cool to think, That being the electricity from the Generating station to the houses/business. My brothers takes it from there, to the motors, pumps, data centers, compressors.... everything that uses electricity. I will admit, he is more of the brains in the whole deal. Lol.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yeah, I started 83 with "Blaupunkt" car stereo and TV. More the tiny parts and less huge ampere but I moved more to Electronics, but now - with electric cars - we will see.

Getting NM by Ampere - sounds a deal for me.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Wowzers! That is some hardcore office you have there. I really don't know if I'd have the stomach for this at my current age. Now 10 years ago, i'd be all over that.

I have to say, fair play to you and your crew, working that close to a major fire too! I mean, what if the wind changed direction? Cooked lineman anyone? Its a tough gig you have but one you seem to relish so thanks for being kick ass at what you do!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Most of us are considered 51/50. Just a touch on the crazy side and balancing on the edge of being placed in an insane asylum. 😂😂 Especially when we pull long shifts of 30-40 hours due to a storm. Now that is funny stuff there. Lol. I don’t do that sort of fun stuff anymore as I have moved and now work at a small utility. A lot more chill and not so hard on the body.

0
0
0.000